1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to cable winches, and specifically to the fairlead guide through which the cable passes when winding the cable onto the winch drum.
2. Description of Related Art
Wire cables are used in many industries to apply tension to and move objects with the aid of a winch. The cable is wound onto a drum driven by a motor. The cable is fed through a fairlead guide, which aids to guide the cable onto the spooling drum, preventing damage to the cable. The cable may be wound onto the drum either with or without an object attached to the end.
To ensure that the cable winds evenly onto the drum when there is little tension on the cable during the winching operation, typically an operator holds the cable in his hand, providing manual tension to the cable between his hand and the drum, while also pivoting or moving his hand so as to direct the cable back and forth across the drum, which prevents binding and helps to ensure an even layout of cable on the drum. Disadvantageously, this method of winding the cable requires the operator to manually handle the moving cable through his hand, which increases the potential for operator injury. Additionally, the level of tension provided by the operator may be inconsistent and therefore result in an uneven spool, increasing the likelihood of damage to the cable.
Previous attempts have been made to provide a means for tensioning the cable while it is being wound onto the spool. Such devices have commonly included a clamp or other way of providing tension to the cable. Disadvantageously, such devices only clamp the cable and do not provide any means to guide the location of the cable around the spool which may result in an uneven distribution therealong. Examples of such devices may be found, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 9,440,825 to Xydias or US Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0016766 to Ho.